Apparatus for refining liquids



Oct. 17, 1933. R. c. osTERsTROM ET AL 1,930,597

APPARATUS FOR REFINING LIQUIDS Filed Sept. 12, 1927 @atenterl Rudolph il). sterstrom, (Chicago, 1li., and Robert "il". Tucker, Muskogee, klia., assigncrs to The Bure @il Company Chicage, lill., a corporation of @hic Application September 12, 1927 Serial Nc. 212,952

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in processes oi reiining liquids.

The present invention is applicable to many arts, as for example the treatment of hydrocarbon oils, distillates thereof, animal and vegetable oils, fats, waxes, sugar solutions, molasses, beverages, paints, varnish, turpentine, and the like. For convenience of descriptionfthe present invention will be described with particular reference to the refining of oils, though it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the treatment of oils.

According to prior practice and referring more particularly to hydrocarbon oils, oils have been refined by acid treatment or other treatments,

which treatments have been supplemented by treatment with refining agents such for example as charcoal, bone ash, ullers earth, acid treated clays, bentonite and other agents, which agents have had the function of bleaching or decolorizing the oil. The preeent invention relates to oils or other liquids which have been prevliminarily treated or those which have not been preliminarily treated, and has for one of its objects the provision of a process for increasing the erhciency of the refining agent, asA above reerred to.

A further object is to provide an improved process for refining liquids in which the reiining agent is thoroughly impregnated with the liquid under treatment, whereby the refining qualities of the refining agent are utilized to the maximum extent.

A further object is to provide an improved process of rening liquids in which the amount of liquid which may be rened from a given amount oi rening agent is increased over prior practice; or, expressed in other language, in which the amount of rening agent which need be used per unit volume of liquid is decreased from prior practice.

A further object is to provide an improved process in which the contacting step wherein the liquid and the refining agent are brought into intimate contact with one another is accomplished under such conditions that thorough impregnation of the rening agent by the liquid under treatment is accomplished,

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

The one figure of the drawing indicates diagrammatically a system by means of which the present invention may be carried out.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a storage tank for liquid tobe treated. This liquid may be oil which has been previously acid treated, or it may be untreated oil or other liquid. Connected to the tank 1 is the pipe line 2 controlled by the valve 3. Said pipe line 2 leads to the pump 4, the discharge side of which (Cl. StL-31.2)

is connected to the pipe 5. rThe pipe 5 is connected by any suitable connection to two pipe lines 6 and 7, of which the pipe line 6 leads to the tcp of the mixing tank 8 and oi. which the pipe line 7 leads to a coil 8a, which forms one bank, preferably the lower bank, of coils of a heater 9.l The pipe line 6 is controlled by a pair of valves 10 and 1l. Between said valves 10 and 1l is a pipe line 12 leading from the pipe line 6 to the lower portion of the mixing tank 8. Said pipe line 12 is controlled by means of the valve 13. The pipe line 'l at a point between the connection to the pipe line 6 and the coil 8a is provided with a valve 13a.

The numeral 14 indicates a blow case which may be charged with the comminuted solid absorbent rerlning agent to be used, such for example as charcoal, bone ash, fullers earth, acid treated clays, bentonite, or any of the other rening agents known to those skilled in this art. Such agent may be charged through the port 15, which may be closed by any suitable air-tight closure. An air line 16 communicates with the upper portion of the blow case 14, whereby air under pressure may be communicated to said blow case. Said blow case is connected, by means of the pipe 17, to the upper region of the mixing tank S. The oil pipe line 6 and the renning agent pipe 17 may lead to a common nozzle or to adjacent nozzles, whereby oil from the tank 1 and rening agent from the blow case 14 may be intimately mixed in the upper portion of the mixing tank 8. Communicating with the bottom of the mixing tank 8 and the pipe line 2 between the valve 3 and the pump l is the pipe line 17a, which is controlled by the valve 17h.

The side of the heating coil 8a opposite to the pipe line 7 communicates through the pipe line 18 to the evaporator 19. Moisture, light oils and other diluents may be evaporated orf in the evaporator 19, such products passing through the line 20 to the condenser 21, from which they may' be conducted through the pipe 22 to any convenient storage tank. The lower region of the evaporator 19 has communication through the pipe line 23 to the suction side of the pump 211. The discharge side of the pump 24 is connected through thev pipe line 25 to the lower extremity of the upper bank of coils 26 in the heater 9. The upper extremity of the bank of coils 26 communicates with the pipe line 27, which leads to the cooling box 28, whence the oil passes through the pipe 29 to the receiving tank 30. A pressure reduction valve may be positioned in line 27 or in line 29 and is indicated at 27a. The discharge side of the receiving tank 30 communicates through the pipe 31 with the pump 32, which delivers treated oil through the pipe 32a to the filter press 33. The oil, after having been ltered supply of other liquid or be liqui through un, the valves 3, l@ and valves i3, sufficient ing tank f valve lfl'u l" circulate en charged into 'the nur@ :life 3 will be closed and the The pump d region. or

-vos

to the upper l acconti,

nis application for the n agent with the o suoient intermiature been acconrnl shed iiiing tanlr 8 to the der this purpose valve l- Vtied down and valve' of the he closed, val

and i3d a is shut oi from the line lo, so ore relning agent .is blo into the E. The pump now dr" ture of on' refdning agent from t on o the mixing tank 8 through me .c valve 17o and delivers said oi?A heric pressure through the line nu p line l to the lower of e heater 9. From the bank oi coils 8c. is delivered to the evaporator le, e externallt7 heated to drive ofi relaients such as water moisture or diluen Bf; reason o the fact that pressure is communicated to the lower region o mixing tanlr e 'through the pipe l2, the mixture of liquid and rc, ning agent is kept in agitat' within the tan?- whereby the rening agent maintained in suspension. The oil evaporator i9 passes through the pipe to pump 2f said oil under superati poeric pressure w ich in a practical embed' of the pounds per sduy upon the oil tf l :infr/idual condil nneness th liquid being tl eated, the temperature of the and other conditions. The oil under pressure is delivered to the oi coils 26 in the The temperature tiiiu the coil 26 will Toe chosen to suit conditions, hood of 350 deg satisfactory in s may range from o at sup "he refining agent will bc whereby to utilize the greatest possible extent without explanation that ,s will reduire a higher .Angler pressure, whereas the a lower temm ature and lower pressure. ordinary skilled f orlrer in the art may of course A.eadily determine e proper temperatures and pressures to be used rer the particular liquid under treatment. The lower limit of pressure to be used will be the nning agent with the particular liquid being cated at the temperature being used. Ordinari= it will be more economical to use the higher temperatures, inasmuch as the pressures neceswill be less at the higher temperatures than at the lower temperatures. W ith such agents and liquids as have come within the observation of applicants in their practice of the present inion the minimum pressure to accomplish com.- plete impregnation at the higher temperatures has been in the neighborhood of 60 pounds per .auare inch, though incomplete impregnation nay be accomplished at less pressures.

iter a complete impregnation has occurred in the bank of coils 26 in the heater 9, the treated oil passes through the cooling box 28 into the receiving tank 3G, whence it may be ltreated in preferred manner to remove the suspended p "ticles According to the cuawing, the oil is passed from the receiving tanl: 30 through a filter press 33 for this purpose, the iltered treat-x ed oil being delivered to the storage tank 35.

The present invention should be distinguished from any process in which it is attempted to L:opregnate the rening agent with the liquid to be treated by prolonging the soaking under` atmospheric pressure or pressures slightly above atmospheric pressure. The pressure involved, in order to realize the benefits of the present invention, must be sufficient to force the liquid into the cellular structure of the refining agent, breaking down the tissues of said rening agent if necessary.

lt will be obvious that the process may be varied in a number of particulars from the one which was chosen for the above description. Moreover, the apparatus may oe changed without departing from the process which constitutes the present invention. For example, the refining agent, instead of being blown into contact with the oil to be treated, may be mixed with said oil in any other preferred manner. oreover, if preferred, the benl; of coils 8a for 'minarily heating the oil may be omitted. It

intended to cover all modications of the esent invention so long as they fall within the scope of the appended clair'l.

In an apparatus for reining petroleum oils, the combination of a heater, means for mixing a cellular renning agent with a petroleum oil, pump and conduit means for conveying the mix ture 'from said mixing means to said heater, a vaporizing chamber, conduit means connecting said heater with said vaporizing chamber, means lor heating a owing streainbf liquid, pump and conduit means connecting the lower portion oi said vaporizing chamber with said last named heating means, said pump being adapted pass a liquid mixture under pressure through means for heating a flowing stream of liqand means operably connected tosaid last named heating means for separating the refln- 145 ing agent from the petroleum oil.

RUnoLPn o. os'raRsTRoM. ROBERT rr. Toonen.

pressure necessary to impregnato the particular 

